1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a simply constructed cooking, draining and mashing device for foods such as peeled potatoes so as to combine the cooking, draining, and mashing operations in order to save time and increase efficiency in the preparation of food.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The usual kitchen preparation for foods, such as mashed potatoes, involves three separate steps. First, the potatoes are cooked in water, generally in a pot on a kitchen stove. When the cooking is completed, the water is drained from the pot or the potatoes themselves are removed from the pot. Finally, the potatoes are mashed, usually with a hand masher or an electric mixer. Once the potatoes have been cooked, it is desirable to perform the other operations quickly so that the potatoes are still warm when served.
Previous attempts to combine operations, such as Heiser, U.S. Pat. No. 1,430,012, have either involved a complicated construction, or have been impractical for use in the average household kitchen.
Therefore, it is a principal object and purpose of this invention to provide a combined device for cooking, draining and mashing foods such as potatoes that is of durable and inexpensive construction and is practical for household kitchen use.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a device that can accomplish the draining and mashing functions quickly and easily once cooking has been completed.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a combined device such that the food does not have to be handled from the time the cooking function has started until the time that the mashing is completed.